FSU Hockey Still Ranked Third Nationally

Feb 28, 2012

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team is still ranked third in two major college hockey polls released this week after clinching the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Regular-Season Championship and wrapping up the regular season this past weekend (Feb. 24-25) in a series against the Western Michigan Broncos.

The Bulldogs finished the 2011-12 regular-season with a 22-9-5 overall record, including a first place 16-7-5 CCHA mark. Ferris State host posted a 11-1-4 ledger in the New Year wtih the lone loss coming in the regular-season finale against Western Michigan on Saturday.

After being the nation's top-ranked team for two weeks, Ferris State fell to third with 861 points and one first place vote in the U.S. College Hockey Online Poll (USCHO). The USCHO Poll consists of 50 voters encompassing 28 coaches from the NCAA Division I conferences along with 22 beat writers and sports professionals from across the country. The poll is published weekly by the Associated Press. FSU's first-place ranking the past two weeks marked the first time in school history the Bulldogs had been regarded as the nation's number one team.

The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll has also recognized the Bulldogs as the third-ranked team this week with one first place vote and 418 points. The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll is conducted on a weekly basis in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

Ferris State is currently in a three-way tie at the fourth spot in the PairWise Rankings. The Bulldogs currently have a 27 PairWise Ranking (PWR). The PairWise ranking is a system which attempts to mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the NCAA Division I Tournament. Therefore, if the tournament were to start tomorrow, the Bulldogs would be the fourth-seeded team among the 16 selected teams that make the field. They are right behind Michigan at third with a 29 PWR. Boston College has a 30 PWR and defending champion Minnesota-Duluth holds the top spot with a 31 PWR.

The Bulldogs have clinched a bye for the first round of the upcoming CCHA Tournament and will host a second-round playoff best-of-three series March 9-11 in Big Rapids. Ticket information is available here.